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REPORT  OF  SURVEY 

OF 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH  and 
THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION 

CITY  OF  ATLANTA,  GEORGIA 


Made  for  the  Atlanta  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Committee  on  Municipal  Research 


By  S.  G.  LINDHOLM 

For  the 
New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

December,  1912 


Reprinted  for  the  Training  School  for  public  service,  conducted  by  the  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research,  261  Broadway,  New  Yorfe  City,    Wm.  H,  Allen,  Director 


REPORT  OF  SURVEY 


OF 


The  Department  of  Health 


City  of  Atlanta 
Georgia 


Made  for  the  Atlanta  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  Committee 
on  Municipal  Research 


By  S.  G.  LINDHOLM 

For  the  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 
December,  1912 


December  19,  1912. 

Colonel  Frederic  J.  Paxon, 

Chamber  of  Commerce  Committee  on 
Municipal  Research, 

57  Whitehall  Street,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Dear  Sir: 

Herewith  please  find  my  report  on  Atlanta's  department  of 
health.  The  emphasis  upon  the  record  evidence  of  work  under- 
taken and  work  done  is  due  to  our  conviction  based  upon  ex- 
perience that  in  making  a  preliminary  survey  we  get  our  best  re- 
sults by  noting  what  public  departments  attempt  to  do  and  what 
evidence  they  have  of  work  done  and  work  undone,  rather  than 
by  actual  field  tests. 

The  report  on  the  health  department  is  presented  under  the 
following  headings: 

Part  I.  Efficiency  of  the  health  department  as  revealed  by 
records. 

__.4.     Limitations  placed  upon  the  Board  of  Health  by_cit£  code. 

and  ordinances  that  detract  from  its  efficiency. 
B.     The  use  made  of  the  powers  given  by  the  code  to  the 

health  department. 

Part  II.    Method  and  procedure  of  the  health  control. 
Part  III.     Inspection  of  certain  dwelling  houses. 
Part  IV.    Recommendations. 

Very  truly  yours, 
BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH. 

Per  S.  G.  Lindholm. 


305324 


I. 

EFFICIENCY  OF  THE  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT     AS     RE- 
VEALED BY  RECORDS. 

In  measuring  the  efficiency  of  the  health  department  of  At- 
lanta, two  factors  must  be  considered: 

A.  The  limitations  placed  upon  the  board  of  health  by  the 
city  code  and  ordinances  that  detract  from  its  efficiency. 

B.  The  use  made  of  the  powers  given  by  the  code  to  the  health 
department. 

A.     Limitations  placed  upon  the  board  of  health  by  the  city  code 
and  ordinances  that  detract  from  its  efficiency. 

1.  The  method  of  ward  election — ten  members,  one  from  each 
ward  plus  three  ex-officio  members — prevents  men  of  re- 
quired skill  and  experience  to  serve  upon  the  board  because 
they  do  not  happen  to  live  within  the  ward. 

2.  Wards  must  elect  men  that  are  incompetent  to  deal  with 
technical  problems  because  of  this  limitation  as  to  residence. 

3.  The  ward  method  of  electing  members  both  to  the  board  of 
health  and  to  the  general  council  almost  inevitably  means 
that  each  ward  member  in  the  general  council  selects  the 
board  of  health  member  from  his  own  ward  thus  introduc- 
ing the  element  of  politics  in  an  election  that  should  be  gov- 
erned solely  by  consideration  of  expertness. 

4.  Professional  qualifications  are  not  demanded  in  any  mem- 
ber of  the  board. 

5.  The  size  of  the  board — two  ex-officio  and  ten  ward  mem- 
bers— must  make  it   cumbersome  in  dealing  with   health 
problems  where  quick  decisions  are  frequently  necessary. 

6.  The  power  of  the  general  council  to  set  aside  health  ordi- 
nances must  inevitably  take  the  spirit  out  of  the  hearth 
board  in  enforcing  any  ordinance  that  is  likely  to  interfere 
with  private  interests. 

7.  The  failure  to  vest  in  the  health  department  the  power  to 
adopt  and  give  legal  sanction  to  health  ordinances  bars  the 
health  board  from  formulating  and  executing  a  policy  by 
which  public  health  shall  be  guarded  against  private  inter- 
ests. 


8.  The  power  to  create  a  sanitary  code  is  usually  a  charter 
right  of  the  health  departments  in  modern  cities.     See,  for 
instance,  section  1172,  New  York  City  charter. 

9.  The  method  of  election,  therefore,  makes  it  unreasonable 
to  demand  that  the  board  of  health  in  Atlanta  should  pos- 
sess such  qualifications  for  dealing  with  health  problems  as 
are  now  demanded  from  health  departments  in  well  admin- 
istered cities. 

10.  The  power  of  the  general  council  to  refuse  to  enact  health 
ordinances  demanded  by  the  board  of  health  and  its  power 
to  set  aside    ordinances    at    the   importuning   of   private 
interests   must  make   the    administration    of    the    board 
halting  and  vacillating. 

B.    The  use  made  of  the  powers  given  by  the  code  to  the  health 
department. 

1.  Weaknesses  inherent  in  present  executive  organization  of 
department. 

a.  There  is  no  single  executive  head. 

b.  The  health  officer  and  the  chief  sanitary  inspector  are 
not  only  independent  of  each  other  but 

c.  Are  responsible  to  an  inexpert  board. 

d.  Thus  unity  of  purpose  or  action  can  not  be  insured,  for 
harmonious  personal  relations  such  as  seem  to  exist  can 
not  take  the  place  of  the  right  system. 

2.  Points  of  efficiency  noted  in  the  administrative  organiza- 
tion of  department. 

a.  The  health  officer    showed    familiarity    with     modern 
methods  of  dealing  with  infectious  diseases. 

b.  The  sanatorium  for  tuberculosis  patients  is  erected  upon 
grounds  admirably  chosen  and  with  buildings  and  pa- 
vilions that  seem  to  combine  adequacy  with  wise  economy 
in  construction. 

c.  A  creditable  system  of  milk  inspection,  both  of  country 
dairies  and  of  city  distribution,  including  use  of  score 
cards,  was  outlined  to  the  investigator. 

d.  The  campaign  to  exterminate  mosquitoes  deserves  much 
more  than  the  support  it  receives  from  the  city. 

e.  The  bacteriological  laboratory  serves  as  a  nerve  centre 
for  the  health  work  of  the  whole  city. 

f.  The  embryo  tuberculosis  exhibit  at  the  entrance  to  the 
city  hall  shows  what  the  department  would  and  could  do 
if  Atlanta  were  to  finance  and  organize  it  adequately. 

g.  This  list  does  not  exhaust  the    commendable    features 
seen  by  the  investigator.     The  testimony  is  freely  offered 


that  great  credit  must  be  given  for  work  accomplished 
by  the  present  health  officer  and  to  his  chief  adviser,  the 
city  bacteriologist.  It  was  evident  that  they  and  their 
staff  had  striven  to  do  their  best  with  the  limitations  un- 
der which  they  were  working.  To  many  of  the  defects  of 
the  department  the  health  officer  himself  called  attention. 
In  calling  attention  to  defects  that  impressed  the  investi- 
gator it  is  therefore  not  necessary  to  apportion  here  the 
responsibility  between  the  city,  the  board  or  the  executive 
officers. 

3.  Points  of  weakness  noted  in  administration  of  department. 

a.  The  staff  is  not  adequately  supervised. 

(1)  The  inspectors  of  the  department  do  not  render  ade- 
quate reports  of  hours  spent  on  duty,  action  taken  at 
each  inspection,  conditions  found  in  stores,  markets, 
etc.,  inspected. 

(2)  The  notebook  carried  in  the  pocket  of  the  inspector 
from  which  bi-weekly  summaries  are  submitted  to  the 
board  does  not  place  before  the  health  officer  all  the  in- 
formation concerning  any  one  place  inspected.     No  evi- 
dence was  found  that  these  note-books  were  inspected 
regularly  by  the  health  officer. 

(3)  Lacking  definite  information  of  the  methods  by  which 
the  inspectors  perform  their  duties  the  health  officer  is 
not  in  a  position  to  insure  that  these  methods  are  the 
most  adequate. 

(4)  Lacking  definite  records  of  the  sanitary  conditions  of 
places  inspected  the  health  officer  must  rely  upon  per- 
sonal reinspectcion  or  general  statements  from  his  in- 
spectors to  know  whether  conditions  are  improving  or 
his  policy  of  inspection  is  adequate  to  cope  with  the 
situation. 

(5)  Through  the  lack  of  time  reports  from  its  inspectors 
the  department  is  liable  to  loss  through  misdirected  or 
delinquent  service. 

b.  Health  conditions  are  not  adequately  supervised. 

(1)  Adequate  information  as  to  the  existence  and  spread 
of  communicable  diseases  is  not  obtained  in  the  health 
office. 

(2)  The  physicians  are  not  made  to  live  up  to  their  duty 
of  reporting  contagious  diseases.    Whatever  policy  the 
health  department  may  adopt  in  regard  to  the  control 
of  infection  it  disregards  both  city  ordinances  and  the 
fundamenal  rule  of  health  control  as  long  as  it  permits 
laxity  in  the  reporting  of  infectious  diseases. 


8 

(3)  The  department  does  not  demand  nor  obtain  informa- 
tion as  to  the  probable  cause  of  infection.    Its  records 
tell  only  the  name,  address  and  character  of  disease 
of  the  infectious  case. 

(4)  The  department  provides  hospital  facilities  only  for 
smallpox,  scarlet  fever  and  diphtheria  and  in  case  of 
the  last  two  infections,  for  white  people  only. 

(5)  Cases  of  measles  that  can  not  be  isolated  in  their 
homes,  as  those  found  in  living  rooms  connected  with 
stores,  workrooms,  etc.,  must  remain  a  public  menace. 

(6)  All  cases  of  infection,  smallpox  possibly     excepted, 
among  colored  people  are  allowed  to  spread  the  disease 
broadcast  without  any  effective  interference. 

(7)  The  department  has  not  taken  steps  to  secure  an  ade- 
quate register  of  tubercular  cases  in  the  city. 

(8)  Of  cases  that  have  come  to  the  notice  of  the  depart- 
ment it  does  not  secure  and  keep  for  ready  reference 
such  information  as  is  deemed  necessary  by  cities  which 
are  attempting  to  control  this  disease. 

(9)  The  department  does  not  keep  records  of  complaints 
made  by  citizens,  to  what  inspector  the  complaints  were 
referred,  what  was  found  upon  investigation  and  what 
was  done  by  the  inspector  in  regard  to  the  complaints. 

(10)  By  destroying  the  record  of  the  original  complaint 
the  health  officer  puts  it  beyond  his  power  to  trace  the 
action  taken  or  the  need  for  action.     The  New  York 
City  charier  recognizes  the  importance  of  this  citizen 
co-operation  by  demanding  that  all  complaints  shall  be 
entered  in  a  book.     The  inspection  of  this  book  is  one 
of  the  important  means  by  which  the  informed  citizen 
can  gauge  the  efficiency  of  the  health  control. 

(11)  The  records    of    inspection  of  markets,    slaughter 
houses,  milk  depots  and  other  places  are  not  filed  so  as 
to  collect  all  information  in  one  place. 

(12)  Lack  of  follow-up  work  in  cases  needing  supervision 
robs  inspection  of  much  of  its  results.     The  card,  re- 
porting the  scoring  of  country  dairies,  is  filed  away,  no 
notice  or  warning  being  sent  when  the  department  finds 
that  the  scoring  is  low  or  conditions  bad. 

(13)  These  score  cards  are  filled  chronologically  so  that 
the  health  officer,  in  looking  at  one  card,  can  not  tell 
without  a  long  hunt  whether  the  conditions  of  the  dairy 
had  improved  or  grown  worse  since  the  last  inspection. 

(14)  The  department  keep  no  records  whatever  of  sani- 
tary conditions  in  dwelling  houses. 


II. 

METHOD  AND  PROCEDURE  OF  HEALTH  CONTROL. 

Control  of  Communicable  Diseases. 

All  physicians  are  required  to  register  with  the  department. 
Permits  to  practice  medicine  in  the  city  are  issued  by  the  state 
board  of  medical  examiners.  There  are  three  bodies  of  physi- 
cians recognized — homeopaths,  allopaths  and  eclectics.  Under 
the  last  group  many  candidates  are  passed  by  the  examiners 
who  would  be  considered  incompetent  by  regular  practitioners. 

Midwives  charging  a  fee,  are  also  required  to  register,  but 
the  board  makes  no  attempt  to  supervise  their  practice,  or  even 
to  ascertain  the  total  number  in  existence. 

Reporting  upon  cases  of  communicable  diseases  is  required  by 
the  code,  but  no  efforts  are  made  by  the  board  or  the  health  offi- 
cer to  enforce  this  ordinance.  The  reports  made  come  voluntarily 
from  the  physicians  who,  it  is  said,  frequently  consult  the  wishes 
of  the  family  in  regard  to  reporting.  The  department  is,  there- 
fore, most  inadequately  informed  as  to  the  existence  of  conta- 
gious diseases.  The  code  defines  as  contagious  or*  infectious  the 
following:  Smallpox,  cholera,  diphtheria,  membranous  croup, 
measles,  typhoid  fever,  typhus  fever,  scarlet  fever,  yellow  fever, 
and  such  other  diseases  as  may  be  publicly  declared  by  the  board 
of  health  to  be  contagious  or  infectious.  Among  the  latter, 
tuberculosis  has  recently  been  included. 

Cases  of  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria  and  smallpox  are  quarantined 
by  the  department.  Quarantine  is  established  and  a  placard 
posted  upon  the  report  of  a  physician,  or  in  the  case  of  diphtheria 
cases  upon  the  positive  culture  by  a  bacteriologist.  The  method 
of  isolation  is  lenient.  In  case  of  diphtheria  the  nurse  and  pa- 
tient are  expected  to  stay  in  isolation  while  the  rest  of  the  family 
may  continue  their  usual  occupations,  provided  that  they  do  not 
enter  the  sick  room.  School  teachers  living  in  a  placarded  house 
are  not  permitted  to  continue  teaching.  In  the  case  of  smallpox 
all  members  of  the  family  were  formerly  taken  to  the  quarantine 
hospital,  but  now  only  the  patient  is  removed  to  the  hospital. 
The  members  of  the  family  and  others  having  visited  the  family 
are  vaccinated.  No  other  compulsory  measures  are  taken.  The 
ordinance  requires  that  all  grown  persons  in  the  city  shall  be 
vaccinated  and  the  health  officer  is  given  power  to  enforce  this 
ordinance.  He  said  that  every  eight  or  ten  years  a  general  vac- 
cination of  all  cities  is  made.  At  the  last  general  vaccination, 
forty  physicians  being  employed  by  the  city  for  this  purpose, 


10 

worked  four  hours  a  day  until  the  city  has  been  covered.  A  pub- 
lic announcement  is  first  made  that  all  people  must  be  vaccinated 
within  24  hours,  after  which  time  any  having  neglected  it,  may 
be  forced  to  be  vaccinated.  The  vaccine  is  bought  from  private 
laboratories.  No  attempts  have  been  made  by  the  department  to 
manufacture  its  own  vaccine. 

-*>>  Reports  of  contagious  cases  are  sent  by  the  health  officer  to 
the  secretary  of  the  school  board,  to  the  Carnegie  Library  and 
the  private  schools.  Fumigation  is  performed  by  the  department 
on  the  day  requested  by  the  attending  physician,  or  upon  the  ad- 
vice of  the  chief  medical  inspector. 

The  placarding  of  houses  and  the  performance  of  fumigation 
is  made  by  the  two  medical  inspectors.  Neither  of  these  is  a 
physician,  but  one  of  them,  according  to  the  health  officer,  has 
gained  through  long  practice,  great  efficiency  in  the  diagnosis  of 
smallpox. 

The  records  of  work  performed  is  kept  in  a  notebook  continu- 
ously carried  by  both,  of  which  a  bi-weekly  summary  is  presented 
to  the  board  of  health.  The  record  of  each  case  is  also  kept  in  a 
card  file.  Each  record  contains  the  following  information — street 
address,  date  of  report,  name  of  patient,  name  of  physician  re- 
porting the  case.  Records  of  fumigation  are  kept  in  a  journal 
containing  the  following  headings :  date  case  is  reported,  name  of 
•  patient,  address  reported,  date  of  fumigation,  removed  to  hos- 
pital, color  (white  or  colored),  by  whom  reported,  name  of  the 
disease? 

It  is,  therefore,  apparent  that  the  records  of  contagious  cases 
serve  only  the  purpose  of  supervising  individual  cases.  No  rec- 
ords are  obtained  indicating  the  possible  source  of  contagion  or 
any  clinical  data  as  are  usually  obtained  by  health  officers  for  the 
study  of  the  spread  and  control  of  infection.  It  is  also  apparent 
that  such  a  half-hearted  dealing  with  contagion  is  of  practically 
no  value  to  the  city.  The  placard  as  a  warning  to  unnecessary 
visitors  is  valuable. 

It  did  not  appear  that  the  patient  or  his  caretaker  were  given 
any  instruction  in  the  proper  care  or  methods  by  which  other 
people  may  be  safeguarded  or  the  patient  profited,  aside  from  the 
injunction  that  the  patient  and  his  nurse  should  be  isolated.  Such 
injunction  is  usually  of  no  direct  value,  as  the  department  does 
not  inform  itself  by  frequent  reinspections  whether  such  injunc- 
tion is  being  enforced. 

Medical  Attention  of  Indigent  Sick. 

Two  physicians  are  engaged  on  full  time  to  care  for  the  poor 
of  the  city.  To  them  are  referred  all  charity  cases  requiring 
medical  attention.  When  not  visiting  in  the  homes  they  may  be 
found  in  the  office  of  the  health  department.  They  are  also  re- 
quired to  vaccinate  children  who  apply  for  this  purpose  at  the 


11 


health  office.  The  records  of  the  visits  of  the  city  physicians  are 
kept  on  cards  —  one  card  being  made  out  for  each  patient.  The 
records  are  kept  as  follows:  Name,  color,  address  of  patient, 
the  dates  when  the  visits  were  made  and  remarks  as  to  diagnosis 
and  history  of  the  case,  a  monthly  summary  of  the  number  of 
visits  made.  One  city  physician  said  that  he  averaged  350  visits 
a  month.  Aside  from  a  monthly  summary  of  these  cards  which 
is  submitted  to  the  board,  no  evidence  could  be  found  of  any 
supervision  of  the  work  of  these  physicians.  It  was  left  to  the 
judgment  and  conscience  of  the  physicians  to  perform  their  work 
efficiently. 

If  drugs  are  required  in  treating  a  patient  a  prescription  is 
left  by  the  city  physician  at  certain  drug  stores,  who  have  con- 
tracts with  the  city  to  furnish  these  drugs.  Bills  for  the  filling 
of  prescriptions  are  submitted  by  these  druggists  to  the  health 
officer,  who  0.  K.'s  them  and  issues  the  necessary  warrants  for 
their  payment. 

Food  Inspection. 

The  health  officer  stated  that  there  are  about  300  markets  in 
the  city.  The  records  of  the  two  inspectors  of  these  markets  are 
kept  in  notebooks  by  the  inspectors.  No  effort  is  made  to  collect 
the  information  on  conditions  found  and  inspection  of  the  in- 
dividual markets.  To  obtain,  therefore,  the  history  of  the  con- 
ditions of  any  one  market,  it  would  be  necessary  to  collect  such 
information  from  the  various  notebooks  of  the  inspectors. 

It  does  not  appear  in  what  manner  the  chief  officer  can  obtain 
definite  information  as  to  the  conditions  of  these  markets  or  of 
the  efficiency  of  the  inspectors,  except  by  asking  direct  questions 
from  the  inspectors  or  from  hearsay  evidence.  That  he  can  say 
whether  the  sanitary  conditions  of  the  meat  markets  are  improv- 
ing or  whether  food  is  sold  under  conditions  that  meet  with  the 
requirements  of  the  city  ordinances,  not  to  say  with  the  require- 
ments of  a  careful  consumer,  does  not  appear  self-evident  to  the 
investigator.  It  is  certain  that  he  can  not  convince  any  inquiring 
citizen  or  an  intelligent  health  board  that  the  department  is  doing 
all  it  can  with  its  resources,  or  that  the  general  council  has  made 
such  provisions  for  the  inspection  of  markets  as  necessity  re- 
quires. 

There  are  three  slaughter  houses  in  the  city  and  all  meat 
slaughtered  is  required  to  be  inspected  before  killing.  To  open 
a  slaughter  house  a  permit  is  necessary  and  the  consent  of  the 
surrounding  property  owners  is  required  before  the  permit  is  is- 
sued. The  health  officer  said  that  all  small  slaughtering  pens 
have  been  abolished  ;  that  these  three  abattoirs  are  in  a  sanitary 
condition  and  that  all  meat  is  inspected  and  stamped  by  the  in- 
spectors. Asked  whether  the  records  of  these  abattoirs  were  in- 
spected by  himself  or  whether  he  had  any  evidence  that  con- 


12 

demned  meat  was  actually  withdrawn  from  the  market  and  de- 
stroyed as  food,  he  could  only  refer  to  the  regulations  as  to  the 
handling  of  these  products. 

Reminded  that  the  experience  of  all  cities  demonstrates  that 
these  inspectors  are  continually  surrounded  by  temptations  to 
let  up  on  the  inspection  and  even  to  pass  tainted  meat  and  that 
the  most  vigorous  supervision  of  the  superior  officer  is  necessary 
to  aid  the  inspectors  in  resisting  these  temptations,  he  admitted 
that  he  did  not  render  such  aid. 

Milk  Inspection. 

Two  country  milk  inspectors  are  traveling  from  dairy  to  dairy, 
scoring  conditions  found  in  the  dairies  on  a  score  card,  adapted 
with  slight  modifications  from  the  United  States  score  card. 
These  score  cards  are  mailed  to  the  central  office  where  they  are 
filed  chronologically.  No  evidence  was  found  that  the  central 
office  followed  up  the  information  thus  obtained  from  the  country 
milk  inspectors,  either  by  writing  a  letter  to  the  dairyman,  point- 
ing out  if  the  score  card  indicated  such  a  need,  the  defects  re- 
ported or  demonstrating  to  the  dairyman  that  the  health  depart- 
ment was  watching  conditions  under  which  milk  was  produced. 
The  only  value  of  this  inspection,  therefore,  is  the  contact  be- 
tween the  inspector  and  the  dairyman  and  such  advice  as  the  in- 
spector may  offer;  that  such  advice  has  been  given  is  not  re- 
ported, although  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  interest  of  the  in- 
spector causes  him  to  give  it. 

There  was  no  evidence  that  the  information  obtained  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  dairy  was  correlated  to  the  conditions  in  city 
milk  depots  or  wagons  distributing  milk  from  this  dairy.  The  ad- 
vantage that  might  be  obtained  by  this  power  to  supervise  the 
distribution  of  milk  and  the  sources  of  protection  is,  therefore  in 
a  measure,  lost.  The  efficiency  of  milk  inspection  depends  now 
altogether  upon  the  conscientiousness  of  the  inspector ;  the  health 
officer  might,  therefore,  be  almost  entirely  eliminated  as  a  factor 
in  the  health  supervision. 

Nuisances. 

Complaints  coming  from  citizens  are  received  over  the  tele- 
phone or  otherwise  and  recorded  by  the  receiving  clerk  on  a  slip 
of  paper.  These  slips  are  distributed  to  the  inspectors  of  the  dis- 
tricts from  which  the  complaint  was  entered.  After  the  com- 
plaint has  been  referred  to  the  inspector  these  records  are  de- 
stroyed. No  records,  therefore,  of  complaints  are  kept  except 
the  notation  in  the  note-book  of  the  inspector  of  what  he  did. 
Whether  there  was  a  just  cause  of  complaint  or  this  cause  was 
removed  as  a  result  of  the  inspector's  visit,  or  whether  the  in- 
spector visited  at  all,  is  not  reported  to  the  chief  health  officer. 

The  method  of  communicating  with  the  inspectors  is  as  fol- 


13 

lows :  On  a  board  in  front  of  the  clerk  are  rows  of  hooks,  each 
hook  being  labeled  with  the  number  of  the  ward,  and  also  hooks 
for  the  reports  on  contagious  diseases,  fumigations,  etc.  The 
slips  of  paper  on  which  the  complaints  are  recorded  are  then 
fixed  to  the  hook  of  the  ward  from  which  the  complaint  came. 
Each  inspector  is  supposed  to  communicate  with  the  office  twice 
in  the  morning  and  twice  in  the  afternoon  and  to  him  are  then 
referred  whatever  cases  there  are  in  his  ward.  After  this  noti- 
fication the  slip  containing  the  record  is  destroyed. 

The  code  provides  in  paragraph  821  that  the  chief  of  con- 
struction shall  keep  a  complaint  book  wherein  the  police  sani- 
tary inspectors  or  any  citizen  may  make  entries  of  obstacles  or 
defects  in  the  streets  and  the  sewers.  The  code  makes  no  pro- 
vision, as  is  customarily  done  in  cities,  for  the  preservation  of 
the  records  of  complaints  made  to  the  health  department. 

Issuance  of  Plumbing  Certificates. 

The  code  requires  that  permits  for  the  proper  installation  of 
plumbing  in  new  buildings  and  in  alterations  of  old  buildings 
must  be  issued  by  the  board  of  health. 

Requests  for  such  permits  come  from  the  plumber  with  the 
blue  prints  of  the  plans.  The  plumbing  plans  are  then  passed 
upon  by  the  plumbing  inspector.  After  the  plumbing  has  been 
installed  a  notice  is  sent  by  the  plumber  of  the  date  when  it  is 
ready  for  inspection  and  testing.  The  plumbing  inspector  re- 
ports upon  the  conditions  found  and  the  test  made  after  which 
a  permit  signed  by  the  health  officer  is  issued.  Upon  the  is- 
suance of  this  permit  the  board  of  water  works  is  supposed  to 
make  the  water  connection. 

A  most  cursory  inspection  of  these  records  shows  evident  lack 
of  proper  supervision  by  the  health  department  and  proper  co- 
ordination with  other  departments.  No  evidence  was  seen  that 
the  water  board,  for  instance,  must  wait  for  the  plumbing  per- 
mit before  it  makes  the  connection  with  the  water  meter  and 
issues  its  water  permit.  Upon  inquiring  of  the  plumbing  in- 
spector whether  he  was  sure  that  such  connection  was  not  made 
before  the  issuance  of  the  proper  plumbing  permit,  or  even 
without  inspection  having  taken  place,  the  investigator  was  in- 
formed that  no  such  check  was  made  by  the  health  department 
and  that,  in  fact,  he  believed  that  in  many  cases  the  water  board 
would  make  the  meter  connection  without  the  proper  plumbing 
permit. 

The  plumbing  inspectors  do  not  render  a  daily  account  of  the 
amount  of  work  done.  The  only  way  to  find  the  amount  of 
work  done  is  by  counting  the  number  of  slips  that  have  been 
returned  by  the  inspectors,  as  inspected  during  the  day,  which 
procedure  is  not  customary ;  or  from  the  monthly  statistical  re- 
port submitted  by  each  inspector  to  the  board. 


14 

The  Laboratory. 

Dr.  Smith,  the  bacteriologist,  makes  all  the  examinations  of 
specimens  submitted  by  physicians  or  the  department  inspectors 
in  cases  of  actual  or  suspected  contagion.  He  examines  all 
diphtheria  cultures  and  reports  to  the  attending  physician.  He 
also  examines  sputum  for  the  presence  of  tuberculosis.  He 
makes  chemical  examination  of  milk  for  fat  and  solid  contents 
and  for  the  presence  of  dirt,  pus  and  other  adulterants.  Bac- 
terial counts  of  milk  are  also  made.  Upon  request  he  examines 
specimens  of  blood  in  cases  of  suspected  typhoid.  Tests  of  the 
purity  of  water  are  occasionally  made. 

Under  Dr.  Smith's  jurisdiction  a  campaign  to  exterminate 
mosquitoes  was  started  in  1903  when  an  appropriation  was  made 
for  it.  After  a  few  years  of  successful  work  a  new  general 
council,  not  understanding  its  value,  cut  the  appropriation.  In 
1905,  however,  the  importunities  of  many  intelligent  people 
caused  the  restoration  of  part  of  the  appropriation  which  has 
been  continued  ever  since.  Most  of  this  work  is  done  during 
the  summer  when  several  men  are  hired,  although  they  have  no 
expert  knowledge  of  the  mosquito,  to  go  around  and  inspect 
premises  and  to  instruct  tenants  in  methods  of  destruction. 

Vital  Statistics. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  health  officer  to  report  to  the  board  all 
statistics  relating  to  births  and  deaths.  The  reporting  of  births 
is  most  incomplete;  fewer  births  than  deaths  of  infants  under 
one  year  being  reported.  Birth  certificates  are  not  required 
at  the  entrance  of  a  child  in  school.  The  health  officer  did  not 
know  whether  the  law  demanded  a  birth  certificate  as  evidence 
of  age  when  a  working  certificate  was  issued  to  a  child;  in  fact, 
he  was  not  sure  whether  an  age  limit  was  required  of  children 
entering  upon  profitable  employment.  As  a  result  no  official 
records  of  births  are  accumulated. 

The  state  law  does  not  require  the  issuance  of  birth  or  death 
certificates.  Asked  whether  the  records  of  the  cemetery  were 
ever  inspected  by  the  health  department  to  ascertain  whether 
the  law  as  to  burial  permits  was  lived  up  to,  the  health  officer 
said  that  this  was  not  done. 

Death  certificates  were  issued  in  the  form  prescribed  by  the 
United  States  health  bureau.  These  certificates  are  copied  on 
special  cards  which  are  filed  chronologically.  These  cards  were 
tabulated  in  the  manner  required  by  the  census  bureau. 

As  to  the  correctness  of  the  cause  of  death,  stated  by  the 
physician,  the  health  officer  had  a  great  deal  of  doubt,  but  he 
was  compelled  to  accept  the  physicians'  reports  as  final. 


15 


III. 
INSPECTION  OF  CERTAIN  DWELLING  HOUSES. 

The  first  row  of  houses  visited  was  No.  176  to  182  Forsyth 
Street.     The  basement  rooms  of  these  negro  quarters  were  in- 
spected.    The  houses  are  of  brick,  two  stories  and  basement. 
The  approach  to  the  first  floor  from  the  street  forms  an  arch  -, 
over  the  basement  windows.     In  the  alley  underneath,  ashes,     , 
dirt  and  refuse  had  been  thrown.    Only  half  daylight  could  pen-    / 
etrate  to  the  front  basement  windows. 

A  hallway,  about  three  feet  wide,  extended  through  the  base- 
ment from  the  front  to  the  rear.  This  hallway  was  absolutely 
dark,  it  being  impossible  to  see  six  inches  in  front  of  one's  self 
after  having  taken  three  steps  from  the  front  door.  This  hall- 
way was  broken  in  the  middle  into  an  angle  where  it  allowed,  on 
the  right  side,  a  room  with  the  door  in  the  hallway  and  a  window 
in  the  rear,  which  window,  in  its  turn,  looked  into  a  shed  ex- 
tending from  the  rear  wall  of  the  house. 

On  the  left  of  the  hallway  were  two  rooms,  the  front  room 
having  two  windows  opening  on  the  half -enclosed  alley  above 
mentioned;  and  the  rear  room,  serving  as  a  kitchen,  opening 
through  a  door  into  the  yard,  and  having  one  window  in  the  x 
rear.     The  floors  of  the  kitchens,  in  all  of  the  four  houses  were  A 
flush  with  the  yard  permitting  the  water  in  the  yard  to  flow 
into  the  kitchen.  In  one  of  the  kitchens,  in  order  to  drain  this  / 
inflow  of  yard  water,  a  board  has  been  removed  from  the  floor. 
Looking  through  this  opening  one  could  plainly  see  the  stagnant 
water  accumulated  underneath  the  floor. 

In  the  shed,  previously  mentioned  into  which  the  only  window 
of  the  room  to  the  right  opened,  ashes  and  charcoal  underneath 
a  kettle  or  boiler  on  the  dirt  floor  showed  its  use  as  a  laundry. 
There  was  no  gas  in  the  hallway  or  basement. 

The  water  supply  for  the  people  in  the  house  was  taken  from 
a  hydrant  in  the  front  yard.  The  waterclosets  were  in  the  rear, 
and  connected  with  sewers.  The  collection  of  garbage  was  also 
made  from  the  alley  in  the  rear.  Both  in  the  front  and  back 
yards  ashes,  garbage  and  remnants  of  food  were  scattered  all 
over  the  ground.  The  rentals  for  these  rooms  were  said  to  be 
$4.00  a  month  for  the  front  room  and  $3.00  a  month  for  the 
kitchen.  The  single  rooms  to  the  right  of  the  halls  were  locked, 
and  no  information  could  be  obtained  concerning  them. 

No.  24  Peters  Street. 

The  second  floor  of  this  house  was  visited.    The  first  floor  was 


16 

a  wagon  repair  shop.  This  house  had  been  a  frame  building, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  clapboards  and  plastering  had  fallen 
down,  leaving  large  openings  both  in  the  outside  walls  and  in 
the  partitions. 

The  living  rooms  opened  into  a  central  hallway,  and  several 
-white  people  were  found  as  lodgers.  Water  was  admitted 
through  a  pipe  running  alongside  the  rear  porch,  ending  in  a 
faucet,  from  which  the  drippings  were  drained  into  a  cup-shaped 
outlet.  The  closets  were  on  the  rear  yard.  The  rooms  rent  for 
$3.00  or  $4.00  a  month  each. 

No.  349  1-2  Peters  Street. 

The  upper  floor  of  this  house  served  as  a  lodging  house  for 
\  white  people.  Entrance  was  obtained  from  the  rear  porch  to 
two  hallways,  which  divided  the  floor  into  three  sections.  The 
light  to  the  two  outside  sections  was  received  through  windows 
in  the  walls  and  to  the  middle  section  through  a  skylight.  All 
walls  were  dilapidated,  the  plastering  falling  down.  Water  was 
obtained  on  the  rear  porch  from  three  hydrants,  one  for  each 
section.  The  watercloset  was  in  the  yard,  and  connecting  with 
sewers.  These  rooms  averaged  $2.00  a  month  each.  The  name 
of  the  owner  or  landlord  was  shown  on  a  placard  on  the  street 
door. 

No.  267  1-2  Peters  Street. 

The  upper  floor  was  inhabited  by  white  people.  The  hallway, 
forming  an  "H,"  divided  the  floor  in  a  number  of  two-room 
apartments,  those  fronting  the  street  on  one  side  of  the  middle 
bar  of  the  "H,"  having  one  room  with  a  window  opening  into 
the  street,  and  one  dark  room  between  the  front  room  and  the 
hallway.  Across  the  hall  the  two  rooms  were  arranged  along- 
side of  each  other,  both  opening  into  the  yard.  The  rooms  on 
the  side  bars  of  the  "H"  had  windows  opening  to  an  airshaft 
about  three  inches  wide,  the  other  side  of  this  airshaft  being  the 
brick  wall  of  the  adjacent  house. 

The  water  was  obtained  from  the  apartment  in  the  center  of 
the  house,  where  a  hydrant  and  sink  were  built  next  to  the 
watercloset.  The  apartment  containing  this  sink  and  water- 
closet  was  not  occupied.  The  walls  consisted  of  one-inch  boards. 
Tenants  complained,  with  abundance  of  evidence  as  to  their 
truthfulness,  that  the  roofs  leaked,  and  that  the  floors  were 
falling  to  pieces.  In  none  of  the  houses  seen  was  there  a  care- 
taker, or  janitor,  to  see  that  proper  cleanliness  or  decency  was 
observed. 

Negro  Section  Surrounding  Lowe  Alley. 

Here  a  tract  of  land,  perhaps  two  acres  in  extent,  is  covered 
by  one  and  two  room  negro  shanties.  The  light  and  ventilation 


17 

in  these  shanties  are  obtained  principally  through  the  door.  A 
brick  chimney  runs  through  the  center  of  the  two-story  shan- 
ties, with  an  open  hearth  serving  as  fireplace  and  cooking  stove. 
In  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  first  shanty  seen  there  was  an  old 
negro  sitting  before  the  fireplace,  kneading  with  his  hands  the 
dough  for  cakes  which  he  was  evidently  frying  in  a  pan  in  the 
open  fireplace.  He  had  lost  one  leg.  Asked  what  he  did  for  a 
living,  he  said  that  he  had  two  renters — one  of  these  had  a  bed 
of  his  own  and  paid  him  twenty-five  cents  a  week,  the  other, 
sharing  his  own  bed,  paid  him  fifty  cents  a  week.  These  two 
beds  and  the  chair  on  which  the  "darky"  was  sitting,  constituted 
the  chief  furniture. 

All  of  these  shanties  were  raised  from  one  to  two  feet  from 
the  ground.     The  waterclosets  were  surface  privies   with  no^ 
water,  presenting  on  the  inside  every  stage  of  conceivable  filthfj 
The  cans  had  evidently  been  emptied  within  a  day  or  two. 

Garbage  was  scattered  in  all  kinds  of  receptacles,  as  well  as 
promiscuously  on  the  ground.  As  the  cans  could  not  come 
within  three  inches  of  the  seat,  no  protection  from  flies  or  in- 
sects could  be  provided. 

The  water  supply  was  obtained  either  by  walking  to  Peters 
Street  or  from  a  number  of  wells  within  the  district.  Two  of 
these  wells  were  examined.  In  one  of  them  the  brick  lining 
stopped  about  ten  feet  from  the  top  of  the  ground,  in  the  other 
about  four  feet.  The  only  protection  against  surface  water  run- 
ning into  these  wells  were  loose  boards  and  a  slight  embankment 
of  dirt  against  these  walls. 

If  the  water  from  these  wells  were  not  used  for  drinking  pur- 
poses, it  certainly  must  have  been  used  for  the  washing  of 
clothes,  which  seemed  to  be  the  chief  industry  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. These  conditions  suggest  that  it  would  be  most  desir- 
able to  have  an  investigation  made  as  to  the  quantity  of  soiled 
clothes  collected  into  this  and  similar  places,  the  surroundings 
in  which  they  are  washed,  the  water  used  in  washing  them,  the 
places  where  they  are  dried,  the  method  of  ironing,  the  manner 
of  storing  these  clothes — both  before  washing  and  after  they 
have  been  washed — previous  to  leaving  these  shanties  for  de- 
livery to  the  owners. 

It  would  also  be  desirable  to  investigate  the  number  of  vari- 
ous houses  in  the  city  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  this  section 
go  for  work  during  the  day.  It  would  be  eminently  desirable 
to  make  a  careful  study  of  the  methods  by  which  such  diseases 
as  are  almost  inevitable  concomitants  of  these  housing  condi- 
tions, are  prevented  from  spreading  to  the  people  who  receive 
laundry,  or  in  whose  homes  the  inhabitants  of  this  section  per- 
form service. 

In  this  whole  section  there  is  not  one  bath  tub.  There  is  no 
attempt  at  street  lighting.  The  playground  of  the  children  is 


18 

the  mud.  There  is  one  church — the  Warren  Methodist — offer- 
ing as  a  gathering  place  its  single  room  auditorium. 

On  the  edge  of  this  district  is  a  row  of  two-story  frame 
houses,  starting  with  No.  20  Leonard  Street.  These  are  in- 
habited by  white  people.  Each  floor  consists  of  a  row  of  three 
rooms,  renting  for  $6.30  a  month.  There  is  a  hydrant  on  each 
floor,  with  a  closet  in  the  yard  connecting  with  sewers.  The 
dilapidated  condition,  the  filth,  the  stagnant  water — both  from 
the  front  and  rear  yards  in  which  the  children  play — seem  to  de- 
mand a  careful  inspection. 

Three  negro  lodging  houses  were  inspected.  The  first,  12  1-2 
Ivy  Street,  occupied  the  two  upper  floors  of  the  "Great  North- 
ern Hotel."  Each  room  in  this  lodging  house  had  a  window 
opening  either  on  the  street,  or  on  the  rear  yard.  The  rooms 
contained  from  two  to  five  beds  each.  The  toilet  facilities  for 
the  two  floors  consisted  of  a  single  sink  and  watercloset,  to 
which  the  men  and  women  lodgers  admitted  to  these  premises, 
were  compelled  to  resort.  The  hallway  was  lighted  by  a  gas 
jet. 

The  second  lodging  house  was  3  1-2  Ivy  Street,  covering  one 
floor.  Here  also  one  watercloset  was  found  with  one  sink.  This 
lodging  house  also  admitted  both  men  and  women  lodgers,  at 
payment  of  25  cents  a  night.  The  caretaker  had  to  hunt  for  a 
kerosene  lamp  to  light  the  hall,  as  well  as  the  rooms,  explaining 
that  the  gas  meter  was  out  of  order,  and  had  been  so  for  over  a 
month.  Probably  the  non-payment  of  the  gas  bill  caused  this 
disorder.  The  watercloset  was  extremely  dirty. 

The  third  lodging  house,  only  a  short  distance  from  this  last, 
also  occupied  one  floor.  The  hallway,  running  through  the 
length  of  the  floor,  gave  access  to  four  rooms  on  either  side.  The 
two  central  rooms  had  no  windows,  only  the  outside  rooms  hav- 
ing a  window  each,  opening  on  the  street  or  the  yard  in  the 
rear.  Only  kerosene  lamps  were  provided.  The  shouting  of 
women  and  crying  of  infants  greeted  the  visitors. 

It  requires  no  imagination  to  conceive  what  must  take  place 
in  a  lodging  house  where  the  halls  are  pitch  black,  rooms  have 
no  ventilation  or  privacy,  the  single  toilet  facility  which  also 
serves  as  the  washroom  and  source  of  drinking  water  must  be 
shared  by  all  of  the  lodgers  where  the  sexes  are  herded  promis- 
cuously, and  even  the  most  elementary  observance  of  cleanli- 
ness, either  of  bed  clothes  or  floors  and  walls  are  not  observed. 
The  oil  lamp  in  such  places  as  these  must  show  its  effect  on  the 
insurance  rates  of  the  district. 


19 


IV. 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 

It  is  recommended 

1.  That  the  making  of  health  ordinances  or  the  sanitary  code 
be  the  function  of  the  board  of  health  and  that  no  other 
body  have  the  power  to  repeal  the  same  as  long  as  they 
conform  to  existing  laws. 

2.  That  the  administrative  functions  under  the     board     of 
health  be  placed  under  the  direction  of  one  head  who  shall 
be  held  responsible  for  their  performance,  i.  e. 

3.  That  heads  of  divisions  within  the  department,  as     the 
offices  of  health  inspection,  sanitary  inspection,  plumbing 
inspection,  the  city  physicians,  etc.,  be  responsible  to  the 
departmental  head. 

4.  That  all  inspectors  be  required  to  render  daily  reports  of 
work  done  and  time  consumed. 

5.  That  the  system  of  record  keeping  be  reorganized. 

6.  That  the  letter  of  the  law  relating  to  the  reporting  of  con- 
tagious diseases  be  enforced. 

7.  That  in  demanding  these  reports  the  department  also  de- 
mand or  by  direct  inspection  ascertain  such  information  as 
will  enable  it  to  take  measures  for  checking  and  if  possible 
eliminating  contagion. 

8.  That  the  department  establish  reasonable  control  of  the 
practice  of  midwifery  and  urge  upon  the  city  to  provide 
training  schools  for  midwives. 

9.  That  in  case  of  deaths  of  infants  whose  births  have  not 
been  reported,  the  department  inquire  as  to  whose  fault, 
if  anyone's,  the  neglect  of  reporting  was  due. 

10.  That  a  tuberculosis  register  be  established,  containing 
such  information  of  the  patient's  history,  family  and  hous- 
ing conditions  as  will  help  the  department  to  take  intelli- 
gent measures  in  checking  the  communication  of  the  dis- 
ease to  others. 

11.  That  the  department  recognizes  the  value  of  citizen  co- 
operation in  complaints  made  of  unsanitary  conditions; 
that  permanent  records  be  made  of  each  complaint,  its  in- 
spection and  final  disposition. 


20 

12.  That  the  department  publicly  report  the  findings,  both  of 
fat  contents  and  of  bacterial  count  of  milk  and  the  names 
of  the  dealers  in  milk  in  the  city  and  that  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  tests  be  made  that  such  reports  may  be  made  monthly. 

13.  That  the  present  inspectors  be  detailed,  as  far  as  other 
duties  will  permit,  to  the  inspection  of  so-called  "lodging 
houses"  and  that  the  department  report  speedily  to  the 
board  and  the  general  council  on  such  fundamental  sanitary 
conditions  as  ventilation,  ratio  of  water  closets  to  number 
of  lodgers,  use  of  the  same  water  closets  by  both  sexes, 
lavatories,  general  cleanliness  and  fire  danger. 

14.  That  the  department  formulate  a  plan  and  submit  to  the 
general  council  a  request  for  an  appropriation  for  the  in- 
spection of  housing  conditions. 

15.  That  the  penalties  for  committing  smoke  nuisances  be 
strictly  enforced  against  office  buildings  and  factories. 

16.  That  the  board  of  health  secure  from  the  general  council 
action  which  will  define  clearly  under  whose  authority  the 
sanitary  policing  of  the  watershed  shall  be  undertaken,  and 
that  proper  supervision  of  the  watershed  be  at  once  estab- 
lished.   The  principles  which  actuate  the  general  council 
to  invest  city  money  in  a  water  purification  plant  and  allow 
surface  privies  to  exist  in  the  closest  proximity  to  the  puri- 
fication plant  are  more  than  incomprehensible. 


REPORT  OF  SURVEY 


OF 


The  Department  of  Education 


City  of  Atlanta 
Georgia 


Made  for  the  Atlanta  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  Committee 
on  Municipal  Research 


By  S.  G.  LINDHOLM 

For  the  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 
December,   1912 


22 


December  19,  1912. 
Colonel  Frederic  J.  Paxon, 

Chamber  of  Commerce  Committee  on 
Municipal  Research, 

57  Whitehall  Street,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Dear  Sir: 

Herewith  please  find  the  report  on  our  four  days'  examination 
of  Atlanta's  department  of  education,  presented  under  the  fol- 
lowing headings: 

Part     I    Evidences  of  progress  noted. 
Part    II    Weaknesses  in  the  present  administration. 
Part  III    Defects  in  administrative  records. 
Part  IV    Recommendations. 
Part   V    Exhibits. 

For  the  most  part  the  suggestions  are  confined  to  steps  which 
the  board  of  education  as  now  organized  and  the  supervisory 
and  teaching  staff  as  now  organized  can  easily  take.  If  we  seem 
to  overestimate  the  importance  of  the  record  and  publicity  side 
of  school  work  it  is  because  experience  has  demonstrated  con- 
clusively that  efficient  promotion  of  education  is  just  as  impos- 
sible without  controlling  and  illuminating  records  as  is  the  effi- 
cient financing  of  a  city  or  private  business  without  similarly 
controlling  records.  By  taking  practicable  next  steps  here  sug- 
gested for  Atlanta's  schools  we  feel  that  the  way  will  be  opened 
for  the  harder  steps,  some  of  which  may  require  reorganization, 
some  new  legislation  or  studies  of  educational  methods,  program, 
etc.,  in  other  cities.  The  most  productive  study  of  Atlanta's 
schools  would  be  such  a  co-operative  study  of  teacher,  principal, 
superintendent,  board  and  public  as  we  have  tried  to  suggest  in 
our  constructive  recommendations. 

Very  truly  yours, 
BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH. 

Wm.  H.  Allen, 

Director. 
S.  G.  Lindhplm, 
Investigator. 


23 

Report  on  the  Department  [of  Education 


THE  FOLLOWING  EVIDENCES  OF  PROGRESS  WERE 

NOTED. 

1.  Gratifying  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  need  for  instruc- 
tion in  the  practical  arts  as  in  the  boys'  technological  high 
school,  in  the  commercial  high  school  for  girls  and  in  the 
training  school  for  teachers. 

2.  Evening  school  work  was  not  examined  but  from  informa- 
tion obtained  it  seemed  that  th6  city  could  make  no  better 
investment  than  to  extend  this  work  as  fast  as  the  demand 
for  such  instruction  is  evident.    Any  large  city  needs  even- 
ing schools.     As  long  as  Atlanta  has  no  compulsory  educa- 
tion law  and  the  factories  take  an  increasing  force  of  child 
labor,  the  city  is  doubly  obliged  to  provide  instruction  for 
the  youths  who  can  not  take  advantage  of  the  regular  day 
school  training. 

3.  The  increase  in  the  lowest  salary  grade  from  $40  to  $55  a 
month  must,  it  is  only  fair  to  infer,  enable  the  school  super- 
intendent to  select  a  higher  grade  of  teachers. 

4.  The  power  given  to  the  city  superintendent  to  make  his 
own  selection  of  teachers  and  to  count  previous  experience 
in  other  schools  in  fixing  the  salary  grade  is  also  a  sign  of 
efficient  administration. 

5.  The  standards  of  its  medical  examination  are  reason  for 
congratulation.    Not  only  are  the  methods  of  examination 
the  best  prevailing  in  other  cities,  but  the  follow-up  work 
by  which  the  nurse  endeavors  to  secure  treatment  for  the 
defective  children  is  recorded  so  as  to  show  clearly  what  is 
left  undone. 

a.  The  history  card  showing  the  records  of  succeeding  ex- 
aminations makes  it  possible  to  compare  the  physical 
conditions  of  the  child  as  he  progresses  in  school  and 
shows  the  results  of  the  follow-up  work. 

b.  A  weekly  report  is  made  by  the  chief  examiner  of  the 
time  spent  both  by  the  examiners  and  the  nurses,  of  the 
number  of  examinations  made  and  of  the  visits  of  nurses. 

c.  In  no  department  seen  was  so  complete  a  record  made  of 
the  work  of  officials  as  well  as  of  results  obtained.      The 
experience  of  the  medical  inspectors  as  well  as  of  the 
city  superintendent  demonstrates  the  wisdom  of  making 


24 

these  records  as  checks  upon  work  done  and  of  the  effi- 
ciency  of  Results  obtained. 

6.  Recently  built  schools  follow  improved  standards: 

a.  Windows  are  ample,  reaching  within  six  inches  of  the 
ceiling. 

b.  Decorations  of  the  classrooms  were  good,  the  walls  above 
the  blackboards  were  tinted  a  soft  green  and  the  ceilings 
light  yellow,  reflecting  the  sunlight. 

c.  The  blackboards  in  the  lower  grades  were  built  within 
reach  of  the  children. 

d.  Each  classroom  had  its  own  cloakroom,  with  a  low  seat 
built  along  the  wall. 

e.  Cabinets  built  flush  with  the  wall  in  the  classroom  ex- 
tended into  the  cloakroom.    These  cabinets  provided  am- 
ple storeroom  for  teachers'  records  and  class  material. 

f.  The  doors  leading  to  the  yards  were  opened  by  self  re- 
leasing fire  exit  latches. 

g.  The  toilet  rooms  were  ample,  were  provided  with  light 
and  cleanliness  was  made  easy. 

7.  In  the  eight  school  buildings  seen  the  aisles  and  floors  were 
clean. 

a.  Floors  were  oiled. 

b.  Sweeping  compound  was  used. 

c.  In  four  buildings  seen  on  a  Saturday  morning  the  chalk 
boards  underneath  the  blackboards  were  cleaned,  although 
the  boys'  high  school  showed  evidence  that  more  adequate 
janitor  service  was  needed. 


25 


II. 
WEAKNESSES  IN  THE  PRESENT  ADMINISTRATION. 

1.  A  reasonable  limit  of  risk  for  fire  or  panic  is  greatly  ex- 
ceeded in  some  school  buildings. 

a.  In  the  second  floor  of  the  East  Atlanta  School  are  three 
classrooms.  The  whole  floor  is  divided  in  two  by  a  par- 
tition running  lengthwise.  To  the  left  of  this  partition 
is  a  large  classroom  with  60  desks  and  a  narrow  hallway 
in  which  the  stairs  leading  to  the  first  floor  are  located. 
The  right  half  of  the  floor  is  divided  by  a  cross  partition 
into  two  rooms,  the  children  in  the  inner  room  passing 
through  the  other  in  order  to  reach  the  stairway.  From 
120  to  150  children  occupy  these  three  classrooms.  The 
teacher  in  the  largest  room  has  her  desk  in  a  corner  op- 
posite the  exit.  To  get  out,  the  60  children  in  the  big 
room  must  pass  through  a  door  measuring  exactly  three 
feet  wide.  Issuing  from  this  door  they  collide  with  the 
children  coming  from  the  other  two  rooms  whose  only 
exit  is  a  door,  three  feet  wide  and  opening  directly  on  the 
head  of  the  stairs. 

The  stairway  is  4  feet  3  inches  wide  and  descends  after  a 
double  turn  to  the  hallway  below  into  which  doors  from 
the  classrooms  on  the  first  floor  open.  The  final  exit  into 
the  open  air  is  through  a  double  door  6  feet  wide. 

On  the  first  floor  doors  are  cut  through  the  rear  walls  di- 
rectly into  the  classrooms.  This  is  an  old  frame  build- 
ing with  no  fire  escapes.  The  classrooms  are  heated  with 
coal  stoves. 

2.  Playgrounds  were  either  not  at  all  provided  or  if  space  was 
provided,  were  not  kept  in  condition  for  use. 

a.  The  boys  coming  out  of  the  high  school  during  recesses 
congregated  on  the  streets.     Many  were  sitting  on  the 
curb  stones  eating  their  lunches. 

b.  The  Highland  and  Edgewood  Schools  were  situated  on 
spacious  grounds  but  the  soil  consisted  of  yellow  clay 
with  no  top  dressing  or  covering  that  permitted  children 
to  play  on  them. 

3.  All  school  yards  are  closed  to  the  children  after  2  P.  M.  ir- 
respective of  the  need  for  playgrounds  or  recreation  centers. 

a.  In  disregarding  the  need  for  playgrounds  the  school  board 


26 

is  blind  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  serious  problems  of  a 
large  growing  city  is  to  supervise  and  direct  the  outdoor 
activities  of  the  children  whose  homes  do  not  provide 
spacious  yards  and  are  too  young  to  be  employed. 

4.  The  absence  of  wall  maps,  globes  and  other  educational 
equipment  was  noticeable  although  the  survey  for    these 
things  was  hurried. 

a.  In  the  boys  high  school  where  every  room  was  examined 
there  was  found  only  one  map  of  the  United  States  and 
one  globe. 

b.  In  the  two  new  schools  mentioned  there  were  but  two 
or  three  maps  in  the  whole  building. 

5.  No  schools  were  used  to  serve  their  neighborhoods  in  any 
other  capacity  than  to  teach  the  children  in  the  morning. 

a.  The  Highland  and  Edgewood  schools  have  no  artificial 
lights.    Their  auditoriums  were  not  equipped  with  seats. 

b.  All  schools  are  closed  shortly  after  2  P.  M.    The  capital 
investment  in  them  lies  idle  during  half  of  the  day. 

c.  The  splendid  opportunities  that  a  school  building  offers 
for  social  centre  work  are  lost.     Cities  such  as  Rochester, 
New  York  City,  Milwaukee,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,  Boston 
and  innumerable  smaller  cities  of  less  importance  than 
Atlanta  are  opening  their  school  buildings  to  the  youths 
and  grown  people  for  instruction  and  recreation  with  not- 
able beneficial  results  not  only  upon  health  and  morals 
but  also  upon  interest  in  school  work  itself. 

6.  Unnecessary  neglect  of  sanitary  conditions  was  shown  in 
many  school  toilets. 

a.  In  the  Inman  Park  School  the  boys'  toilet  is  located  in 
the  basement.    The  single  gas  jet  lighting  this  room  is 
placed  in  the  centre  and  gives  very  poor  light  to  the 
closed-in  toilets.     At  the  visit  during  a  school  session, 
one  of  the  six  seats  provided  was  very  dirty  and  the  bowls 
of  all  of  them  were  filled  with  execretion.    There  was 
no  running  water  in  the  hoppers,  due  it  was  explained,  to 
temporarily  defective  plumbing. 

b.  In  the  boys'  high  school  three  toilets  were  visited  in.  the 
afternoon  after  school  session  was  closed.     In  the  base- 
ment toilet  there  are  8  seats,  each  enclosed  in  a  booth. 
The  light  comes  from  a  small  rear  window  which  lights  2 
booths  and  2  gas  jets  in  the  centre  of  the  room.    The 
end  booths  are  dark.    All  the  seats  were  dirty  and  the 
seats  and  floor  covered  with  water.     Some  of  this  water 
was  the  accumulation  of  the  condensation  formed  on  the 
heavy  water  pipes  extending  the  entire  length  of  the  rear 


27 

wall  and  right  above  the  seats.  The  color  and  odor  of 
the  water  indicated,  however,  that  not  all  come  from  this 
source.  The  toilet  room  also  contained  a  separate  urinal 
and  3  sinks  with  running  water. 

The  toilets  and  the  first  and  second  floors  are  exact  counter- 
parts of  the  one  in  the  basement  and  the  uncleanliness 
the  same,  except  that  no  water  was  found  on  the  floor  in 
the  second  floor  toilet. 

Across  the  hall  from  the  toilet  on  the  first  floor  was  another, 
apparently  used  by  the  office  force.  This  contained  one 
commodious  booth,  the  seat  of  which  was  thoroughly 
clean,  as  well  as  the  entire  room. 

c.  No  toilet  paper  was  in  evidence  in  any  one  of  these  places 
and  only  in  few  of  the  booths  seen  in  other  schools  except 
in  the  office  toilet,  which  had  toilet  paper  and  towels.  The 
superintendent  of  buildings  stated  that  janitors  were  in- 
structed to  provide  paper.     Scraps  of  newspapers  in  the 
bowls  of  one  room  indicated  that  none  had  been  provided 
that  morning. 

d.  In  no  school  seen  were  towels  provided  for  the  drying  of 
hands  after  washing.     The  roll  paper  toweling  has  been 
found  both  adequate  and  economical  in  many  other  cities. 

e.  In  the  East  Atlanta  School  the  toilets  consist  of  two  sur- 
face privies,  in  the  rear  of  the  school  yard,  more  than  100 
feet  distant  from  the  school  building,  properly  screened. 
The  privies  are  dilapidated  frame  shanties,  5  feet  wide 
and  8  feet  long.     In  the  boys'  privy  is  a  seat  with  3  holes 
and  in  one  corner  an  "L"  shaped  urinal,  emptying  itself 
into  the  receptacle  under  the  nearest    hole.    The     seat 
showed  evidences  of  the  muddy  feet  of  the  boys  and 
traces  of  water.     No  traces  of  dry  excreta  were  seen 
except  on  the  lower  edge  of  one  of  the  openings.     On  the 
seat  a  roll  of  toilet  paper  was  placed.    The  visit  was  made 
on  Saturday  morning  before  the  janitor  had  cleaned  up. 

Underneath  two  of  the  openings  were  iron  receptacles, 
about  12  inches  square  and  10  inches  deep  with  handles 
turning  outward.  In  each  of  these  there  was  noticeable 
remnants  of  both  solid  and  fluid  matter.  Between  the 
upper  edge  of  the  receptacles  and  the  seat  there  was  an 
opening  of  two  or  three  inches  that  would  give  free  ac- 
cess to  flies,  etc. 

Under  the  third  opening  was  a  round  garbage  can  with 
cubic  contents  about  three  times  as  large  as  one  of  the 
others  into  which  the  urinal  drained. 

Between  the  privy  and  the  rear  fence  is  enough  space  for  a 
man  to  empty  the  receptacles.  Upon  inquiry  from  the 


28 

janitor  it  was  ascertained  that  the  cans  are  emptied  and 
replaced  without  any  attempt  of  carefully  cleaning  them. 
No  facilities  for  such  cleaning  have  been  provided. 

Attached  to  the  door  was  a  serviceable  and  apparently  new 
lock.  The  door,  however,  was  open ;  it  is  not  probable 
that  it  is  kept  locked  at  night. 

The  girls'  privy  consists  of  two  compartments,  the  larger 
containing  a  seat  with  three  openings,  provided  with  lids 
and  hinges.  The  seat  as  well  as  the  floor  was  clean  and 
toilet  paper  provided.  The  other  compartment  was  re- 
served for  the  use  of  teachers. 

f.  In  the  Faith  Street  School  the  toilet  facilities  resemble 
those  in  the  Inman  Street  School,  except  that  the  recepta- 
cles in  which  the  drainage  from  the  urinal  flowed  was 
three-fourths  full.     It  was  standing,  uncovered,  on  the 
bare  ground  and  outside  of  the  privy,  the  pipe  leading 
from  the  urinal  extended  over  a  foot  beyond  the  wall. 
These  receptacles  had  been  emptied  the  preceding  day  ac- 
cording to  the  janitor  and  would  not  again  be  emptied 
until  the  following  Wednesday.    If  the  water  collected 
one  school  day  would  fill  this  can  to  three-fourths  of  its 
capacity,  it  would  undoubtedly  overflow  before  the  next 
emptying.     The  janitor  stated  that  this  can  frequently 
was  overflowing  and  that  the  urine  soaked  into  the  soil. 

g.  The  lack  of  proper  lighting  of  toilets  is  an  inexcusable 
offense  against  decency.    At  a  slight  expense  the  school 
board  could  long  ago  have  removed  the  moral  and  physi- 
cal contamination  that  must  result  from  conditions  here 
described.     That  surface  privies  should  be  permitted  on 
school  grounds  may  cqnceivably  be  condoned  on  grounds 
of  the  expense  of  sewer  connections,  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
a  great  city  like  Atlanta  can  afford  to  save  a  relatively 
trifling  expense  at  so  great  a  possible  cost  in  health  and 
comfort  and  morals. 

h.  The  superintendent  of  schools  took  special  pains  to  call 
the  investigator's  attention  to  these  unsanitary  conditions 
and  declared  that  he  had  been  unable  to  make  the  authori- 
ties remove  them. 

i.  The  drinking  arrangements  in  all  but  the  most  recently 
erected  school  buildings  practically  necessitate  the  use  of 
common  cups. 

(1)  In  the  East  Atlanta  and  the  Faith  Street  schools  the 
only  supply  of  water  was  obtained  in  the  yard.  In  the 
first  a  water  pipe  rose  from  the  ground  about  three  feet 
and  had  one  faucet  at  its  end.  The  overflow  drained 
into  the  ground.  In  the  second  two  water  pipes,  each 


29 

with  four  faucets,  furnished  the  supply.  The  overflow 
ran  into  troughs  and  through  a  drain  pipe  into  the  ad- 
jacent lot.  No  arrangements  were  made  for  the  keep- 
ing of  individual  cups.  At  slight  expense  of  inverting 
faucets  a  crude  but  satisfactory  "fountain"  can  be  de- 
vised. 

(2)  In  many  schools  the  children  have  to  go  to  the  toilet 
rooms  with  their  cups,  if  they  have  any,  to  obtain 
drinking  water. 

(3)  In  two  of  the  newest  schools  seen  bubbling  water 
fountains  were  provided. 


30 


III. 
DEFECTS  IN  THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  RECORDS. 

1.  No  census  of  the  number  and  names  of  children  of  school 
age  is  taken. 

a.  No  true  basis  for  the  distribution  of  state  school  funds 
can  now  be  given. 

b.  Atlanta  can  not  know  the  number  of  new  school  buildings 
needed  to  care  for  the  unschooled. 

c.  Atlanta  can  not  gauge  the  moment  when  her  illiterate 
and  uncared  for  school  population  has  grown  into  undue 
proportions. 

2.  Records  of  school  attendance  are  inadequate.       The  city 

superintendent  does  not  know 

a.  How  many  classrooms  have  more  than  50  children. 

b.  The  ages  of  the  children  in  the  various  grades. 

c.  The  regularity  of  attendance  in  each  school. 
3.  No  one  can  now  tell 

a.  Whether  ill-assorted  ages  are  found  in  the  same  grade. 

b.  What  proportion  of  children  need  more  than  one  year  to 
complete  the  grade. 

c.  At  what  ages  children  drop  out  of  school. 

d.  The  reasons  why  children  drop  out  of  school  or  why  they 
do  not  attend  regularly. 

e.  How  many  children  fail. 

f .  Why  they  fail. 

g.  How  much  of  this  failure  could  under  present  conditions 
be  avoided  by  more  effective  checking  of  classroom  work, 
etc. 

4.  The  weekly  school  reports  which  now  give  the  number  of 
pupils  enrolled,  the  number  belonging,  the  number  of  pu- 
pils absent,  number  of  absences  and  the  average  attendance 
and  also  information  as  to  tardiness  of  pupils  and  teachers, 
do  not  help  as  they  should. 

a.  As  these  reports  do  not  give  any  cumulative  totals  they 
can  not  without  prohibitive  effort  show  the  trend  of  at- 
tendance. 

b.  They  do  not  enable  the  principal  to  compare  school  with 
school. 


31 

5.  Principals  are  compelled  to  confine  their  teaching  to  ad- 
vanced subjects  in  the  upper  grades  because  of  alleged  short- 
age of  teachers  in  these  grades.    As  a  consequence  the  prin- 
cipal is  unable 

a.  To  do  teaching  where  it  will  do  the  most  good,  i.  e.,  in 
the  classrooms  of  weak  teachers  of  all  grades  who  need 
special  help  and  guidance. 

6.  Adequate  records  of  teachers'  efficiency  are  not  kept. 

a.  The  investigator  was  informed  that  principals  did  not 
systematically  record  their  observation  of  teachers  in 
their  schools. 

b.  The  only  records  in  the  possession  of  the  city  superin- 
tendent were  his  own  notes  made  in  a  pocket  memoran- 
dum book,  of  his  visits  to  classrooms,  too  meagre  for  532 
teachers  under  his  supervision. 

7.  The  public  is  not  kept  informed  as  to  school  facts  and  school 
needs. 

a.  Not  having  current  records  which  show  needs  and  effi- 
ciency, the  schools  can  not  give  these  facts  currently  to 
the  public. 

b.  An  annual  report  published  January,  1912,  covers  the 
school  years  1903-1911 — i.  e.,  for  eight  years  no  annual 
report  was  published  for  Atlanta's  greatest  public  service. 


32 


TENTATIVE    CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS    FOR    COR- 
RECTING CONDITIONS  NOTED  IN  ATLANTA'S 
SCHOOLS  DURING  SHORT  FIELD  SURVEY. 

1.  That  possible  danger  from  fire  be  immediately  reduced  by 

a.  Installing  fire  escapes  where  necessary. 

b.  Putting  in  extra  doors. 

c.  Having  all  doors  open  out. 

d.  Widening  doors. 

e.  Widening  corridors  and  stairways. 

2.  That  sanitary  conditions  be  immediately  improved  by 

a.  Lighting  all  toilets  sufficiently. 

b.  By  enlisting  the  co-operation  of  the  janitors  and  giving 
them  such  definite  instruction  that  dirty  seats,  bowls  and 
floors  would  be  impossible,  foul  odors  would  be  banished; 
detached  closets  would  be  kept  fly-proof;  urine  containers 
would  be  emptied  daily. 

c.  Supplying  toilet  paper  in  each  toilet. 

d.  Supplying  paper  towels  in  each  toilet  and  primary  room 

e.  Supplying  bubbling  fountains  in  all  the  schools,  or  at 
least  individual  drinking  cups  with  dust  proof  cabinets. 

f.  Instructing  teachers,  children  and  pupils  how  to  secure 
sufficient  ventilation  from  the  windows. 

g.  Installing  humidifying  apparatus  where  necessary. 

3.  That  "continuous  record"  cards  for  each  pupil  be  provided 
at  once  so  that  superintendent,  principal  and  teacher  may 
easily  learn  and  use  the  important  facts  about 

a.  Average  and  its  causes. 

b.  Dropping  out  and  its  causes. 

c.  Non-promotion  and  its  causes. 

d.  Physical  defects  and  their  treatment. 

e.  Mental  defects  and  their  treatment. 

f.  Why,  from  what  grades  and  at  what  ages  and  in  what 
numbers  children  drop  out  of  school. 

g.  Why,  in  what  grades,  at  what  ages  and  in  what  numbers 
children  repeat  grades. 

4.  That  financial  uniform  records  recommended  by  the  United 
States  Bureau,  with  modifications  to  serve  your  local  schools, 


33 

be  introduced  at  once,  so  that  the  board  of  education  and 
the  public  may  have  currently  available  information  as  to 
Per  capita  costs  of  instruction  in  the  different  subjects, 
through  different  schools  and  in  the  system  as  a  wheter 

5.  That  a  school  census  be  taken  at  once  with  the  co-operation 
of  the  superintendent,  principals,  teachers  and  pupils  which 
will  bring  out : 

a.  How  many  children  there  are  in  Atlanta  of  school  age. 

b.  How  many  between  the  ages  of  12  and  13  are  at  work. 

c.  What,  if  any,  additional  evening  classes  or  courses  are 
needed. 

d.  Which,  if  any  employers  would  be  glad  to  permit  em- 
ployees under  18  to  attend  "continuation  schools"  in  the 
day  time  at  hours  arranged  with  school  authorities. 

6.  That  later  a  study  be  made  to  ascertain. 

a.  What  children  of  12  to  18  are  working  at 

b.  What  their  wages  are. 

c.  What  their  educational  equipment  is. 

d.  What  effect  length  of  schooling  seems  to  have  on  wages 
and  rate  of  increase  in  wages. 

e.  What  the  chief  fields  are  uncovered  by  the  school  course 
as  seen  by  employers,  and 

f.  Deficiencies  as  seen  by  employees. 

7.  That  further,  the  quality  of  classroom  instruction  be  or- 
ganized to  determine  whether 

a.  The  methods  used  by  the  teachers  are  effective  in  im- 
parting to  the  child  the  education  that  the  course  of  study 
and  probable  future  work  call  for. 

b.  Whether  through  wrong  methods  there  is  a  waste  of 
teachers'  and  pupils'  time. 

c.  Whether  it  would  be  more  economical  to  demand  higher 
qualifications  of  teachers  than  to  permit  this  waste  to 
continue. 

8.  That  detailed  budget  estimates  be  prepared  by  the  board  of 
education  each  year  based  on  accurate  records  of  cost  and 
attendance  for  each  kind  of  school  and  each  kind  of  special 
work,  school  population,  shift  in  population,  etc.,  and  that 
these  estimates  be  given  publicity  through  budget  hearings, 
parents'  meetings  and  the  public  press. 

9.  That  at  least  one  more  assistant  be  given  the  superinten- 
dent to  enable  him  to  make  continuous  tests  of  the  classroom 
efficiency  of  the  teachers. 

10.  That  confining  the  teaching  of  principals  to  upper  grades 


34 

only,  be  discontinued  at  once,  so  that  such  time  as  is  given 
be  centered  on  classes  and  grades  where  there  is  greatest 
weakness. 

11.  That  the  board  of  education  arrange  for  a  study  of  the 
teaching  of  domestic  and  mechanic  arts  in  other  cities,  with 
the  idea  of  extending  the  teaching  of  these  subjects  in  At- 
lanta schools. 

12.  That  school  playgrounds  be  put  in  a  condition  for  use  by 
following  present  minimum  standards  of  playground  equip* 
ment  to  be  found  in  available  publications,  such  as  The  Play- 
ground, i.  e.  by 

a.  Surfacing  them  properly. 

b.  Properly  equipping  them  with  teeters,  the  giant  stride, 
etc. 

c.  Interesting  children  in  making  apparatus  such  as  parallel 
bars,  standards  for  trapezes  and  jumping,  etc. 

13.  That  adequate  play  space  be  provided  immediately  sur- 
rounding or  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  every  school. 

14.  That  proper  leadership  and  supervision  for  play  be  pro- 
vided not  only  during  vacation  time  but  during  play  hours 
in  school  time. 

15.  That  a  complete  list  of  necessary  educational  equipment 
he  made  by  the  superintendent  by  referendum  to  all  princi- 
pals and  teachers  and  by  special  conference  with  a  commit- 
tee of  principals  and  teachers  and  that  funds  be  provided 
forthwith  to  make  up  the  present  shortage  in  maps,  globes, 
etc. 

16.  That  immediate  steps  be  taken  looking  to  the  wider  use 
of  school  plant  by 

a.  Equipping  all  school  auditoriums  not  now  provided  with 
seats. 

b.  By  placing  artificial  lights  in  all  schools. 

c.  By  starting  evening  classes  in  all  subjects  and  in  all  neigh- 
borhoods where  there  is  a  demand. 

d.  By  keeping  playgrounds  open  every  school  day  from  2 
P.  M.  until  dark,  all  day  Saturday  and  during  vacations. 

17.  That  steps  be  taken  to  enlist  approximately  100%  of  the 
community's  outside  civic  interest  in  solving  Atlanta's  edu- 
cational problems  by 

a.  Throwing  open  the  school  buildings  to  parent-teachers' 
meetings,  meetings  of  civic  clubs,  debating  clubs  and  even 
social  clubs  with  the  idea  that  centering  social  life  in 
school  buildings  will  tend  to  center  social  interest  in  school 
problems. 


35 

b.  By  calling  a  conference  of  all  civic  organizations  and  all 
possible  co-operative  agencies  to  outline  a  plan  of  effective 
continuous  co-operation  between  outside  bodies  and  the 
board  of  education. 

c.  By  making  available  to  the  press  both  advance  informa- 
tion about  matters  to  come  before  board  meetings  and  re- 
ports on  such  meetings. 

d.  By  giving  to  the  press  summaries  of  monthly  reports 
such  as  will  be  possible  if  suggestions  here  given  are 
adopted  as  to  records,  sanitary  improvements,  etc. 

e.  By  publishing  an  annual  summary  without  fail  but  just 
before  the  beginning  of  each  year  rather  than  the  middle 
or  toward  the  end  of  the  school  year  when  it  is  too  late 
to  interest  either  teachers,  officers  or  public  in  the  superin- 
tendent's suggestions. 

18.  That  pending  an  analysis  of  the  present  course  of  study 
which  will  ascertain  its  adaptability  to  the  differences  of 
mental  and  physical  equipment  of  children,  a  special  study 
be  immediately  made  to  learn  the  effectiveness  of  curriculum 
and  teaching  in  preparing  for  citizenship  that  includes 

a.  Ability  to  make  use  of  important  channels  of  informa- 
tion, as  newspapers,  libraries,  etc. 

b.  Ideals  of  personal  and  municipal  hygiene. 

c.  Intelligent  choice  of  occupation. 

d.  Understanding  of  civics  as  applied  to  local,  state  and  na- 
tional government. 

19.  That  in  selecting  board  members  steps  be  now  taken  to 
secure  the  substitution  of  selection  at  large  for  selection 
from  wards.  > 

20.  That  the  six  following  questions  be  used  in  testing  indi- 
viduals considered  for  the  school  board: 

a.  Are  they  interested  in  the  success  of  the  public  school  ? 

b.  Do  they  know  reasonably  well  the  local  conditions  which 
the  public  school  is  supposed  to  express  and  the  local 
needs  which  the  public  school  is  supposed  to  meet? 

c.  Are  they  in  the  habit  of  basing  judgment  upon  facts? 

d.  Are  they  in  the  habit  of  working  from  first  hand  infor- 
mation instead  of  hearsay  ? 

e.  Can  they  use  effectively  such  sources  of  information  as 
school  records,  reports  of  state  and  national  bureaus  of 
education,  the  valuable  discussions  of  school  methods  and 
advance  steps  in  educational  journals? 

f.  Are  they  capable  of  managing  any  other  business  where 
the  number  of  subordinates,  patrons  and  days  spent  equals 


36 

the  number  of  subordinates,  patrons  and  days  spent  of 
Atlanta's  school  system. 

21.  That  the  chamber  of  commerce  help  the  whole  citizenship 
of  Atlanta  take  and  maintain  the  position  that  no  one  is 
qualified  to  act  as  school  trustee. 

a.  Who  would  be  obviously  unfit  for  councilman  or  sinking 
fund  commissioner. 

b.  Who  thinks  he  has  eyes  enough  to  see  or  ears  enough  to 
hear  for  himself  without  studying  records  all  he  needs  to 
know  about  school  work. 

c.  Who  despises  records  of  work  done  and  of  needs  unmet 
which  unfitness  is  apt  to  call  "mere  statistics." 

d.  Who  thinks  that  20%  of  Atlanta's  children  are  predes- 
tined to  fail  each  term. 

e.  Who  has  contempt  for  the  public,  and  thinks  it  can  never 
understand  the  intricacies  of  school  management. 

f .  Who  in  intellect  or  strength  of  character  is  inferior  to 
teachers  and  principals. 

g.  Who  has  never  had  experience  in  applying  efficiency 
tests  to  subordinates  and  to  his  own  results. 


37 


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40 

« 

To  Supervisors  and  Boards  of  Education 

(SEE  EXHIBIT  D.  CLASS  RECORD    DIAGRAM,  INSERT) 

Age  grade  tables,  if  properly  taken  with  a  rigid  standard  to  bring 
out  facts  and  not  to  make  a  showing,  will  tell  you  how 
much  over-age  you  have 

Age  progress  tables,  if  properly  taken,  will  show  you  how  much 
overage  your  school  system  may  be  directly  responsible 
for,  will  measure  your  possible  direct  responsibility.  In 
the  diagram  on  the  other  side  of  this  sheet,  out  of  the  over- 
age children  on  the  "eastern"  third  of  the  sheet,  only  those 
who  fall  in  the  south-eastern  ninth  have  lost  time.  They 
are  your  greatest  problem.  Try  THIS  blank  on  one  of 
your  classes 

We  are  sending  you  a  form  in  actual  use  in  P.  S.  188B,  New  York, 

which  will  enable  each  teacher  to  make  an  age  grade  + 

progress  +  health  +  mentality  picture  of  her  class,  by 

which  she  san  analyze  her  problem,  and  get  a  basis 

for  attacking  it 

STUDY  IT— TRY  IT 

If  each  teacher  uses  this  form,  and  it  is  kept  up-to-date,  the 
superintendent  will  be  able  easily  to  compile  accurate  over- 
age and  slow  progress  statistics  for  the  whole  system  BY 
SCHOOLS 

Experience  and  inquiries  have  shown  that 

1 — Children  who  enter  between  6  and  Qy2  years  of  age 
stand  the  best  chance  of  normal  progress  through  the 
grades 

2 — Pupils  tend  to  drop  out  as  they  reach  the  age  of  14 

3 — Pupils  who  drop  out  at  14  before  completing  the  ele- 
mentary course  are  handicapped  in  the  struggle 
Therefore 

It  is  essential  not  merely  to  know  whether  over-age-ness 
is  decreasing  and  how  much,  but  how  many  pupils  in 
the  various  grades  are  over-age  on  the  basis  of  less 
than  Qy2  years  as  the  age  of  beginning  and  less  than 
14J4  years  as  the  age  of  completing  the  elementary 
course.  THIS  TELLS  YOU  THE  SIZE  OF  YOUR 
PROBLEM.  Knowing  causes,  locates  and  explains: 
it  does  not  remove  this  problem 
Also 


41 

it  is  essential  that  you  know  the  rate  of  progress  of  every 
pupil  through  the  grades,  with  the  conditions  ex- 
plaining the  progress.  THIS  TELLS  YOU  THE 
CHARACTER  OF  YOUR  PROBLEM  which  you  can 
attack  immediately.  Over-age-ness  is  a  social  eco- 
nomic loss.  Slow  progress  is  one  cause  of  over-age- 
ness,  and  is  often  due  to  poor  teaching,  poor  school 
environment,  or  poor  home  environment  which  may  be 
ameliorated  through  school  influences.  This  is  your 
first  concern.  Later  educate  your  community  as  far 
as  possible  to  enter  their  children  at  the  normal  age 

Do  not  forget 

1 — That  your  over-age  tables  measure  primarily  not  your 
responsibility  but  your  problem  and  that  therefore 
you  need  not  fear  a  high  percentage  of  over-age 

2 — That  age  progress  tables  measure  your  responsibility 

and  how  you  are  measuring  up  to  it — and  that  this 
the  people  should  know 

3 — That  percentages  of  over-age-ness  are  usually  consid- 
erably greater  than  percentages  of  slow  progress 

DIRECTIONS. 

(SEE  EXHIBIT  D) 

1 — Under  pupil,  enter  names.  2 — Under  years,  put  (a) 
age,  (b)  years  in  school.  Months  should  be  placed  in  each  column 
directly  over  the  years.  3 — Under  terms,  G  means  terms  gained ; 
L  means  terms  lost.  4 — Under  entered,  C  means  class  for  for- 
eigners. Kind,  Kindergarten;  1A,  lowest  of  regular  classes. 
5 — Under  physical  defects,  S  means  sight;  H,  hearing;  N,  ner- 
vousness ;  A,  anemic.  6 — Under  home,  B  means  below  normal ; 
N,  normal ;  A,  above  normal.  7 — Under  mental,  Inf.  means  infor- 
mation subjects,  as  geography,  history,  etc. ;  Exp.  means  expres- 
sional  subjects, — all  language  work;  Man.,  means  manual  sub- 
jects; Math.,  mathematical;  B.,  N.,  and  A.,  mean,  below  normal, 
normal,  and  above  normal.  8 — Vacant  Sections  are  reserved  for 
such  additional  information  as  circumstances  may  require.  There 
should  be  put  here  information  as  to  nose — throat  and  lung  trou- 
ble, which  of  course  logically  should  be  placed  under  physical  de- 
fects. 9 — Progress:  Above  normal,  one  who  has  gained  time, 
etc.  Below  normal,  lost  time  by  being  left  back,  etc.  Normal, 
neither  gained  nor  lost.  10 — Age :  Normal  to  be  determined  ac- 
cording to  standard  mentioned  above.  Below  normal,  young  pu~- 
pils.  Above  normal,  over-age  pupils.  11 — Elimination:  When 
a  pupil  drops  out  of  school  finally,  underscore  his  name.  If  the 
entries  are  being  made  in  the  fall  term,  enter  the  names  of  all 
children  who  were  promoted  to  the  class  but  dropped  out  during 
vacation.  Otherwise  the  record  of  these  pupils  will  be  lost.  Keep 


42 

record  of  causes  by  underscoring  with  different  colored  inks  or 
using  different  numbers  of  lines,  or  other  key.  12 — Roll:  After 
names  are  entered,  fold  sheet  into  four  parts  and  paste  into  roll 
book  on  one  of  the  folds.  13 — Entries:  Enter  all  pupils  that 
come  into  class.  Hence  sheet  will  show  complete  analysis  _of  all 
pupils  that  were  in  class  from  formation  to  dissolution.  14 — En- 
tries under  all  headings  except  1,  2  and  3  should  be  dots  only,  thus 
®.  15 — The  heavy  lines  divide  the  form  into  nine  sections  show- 
ing pupils  as  normal,  above  or  below  normal  in  age  and  progress. 
Thus  upper  left  section  shows  those  above  normal  progress  and 
below  normal  age.  Lower  right  section,  shows  those  below  nor- 
mal progress  and  above  normal  age 

Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  261  Broadway 
Efficient  Citizenship  No.  577  (Schrader  Fund) 


43 


EXHIBIT  E. 

A  Simplified  Form  of  Record  for  Helping  to  Locate  Children  Needing  Special 
Attention  Because  of  Over-Age  or  Previous  Failures  in  School. 

AN  ACTUAL  NEW  YORK  CITY  CLASS :  (7B) 

Chart  shows:  Only  one  child  of  normal  age  (between  heavy  black  ver- 
tical lines)  who  has  also  taken  the  normal  required  time  to  get  to  7B  (be- 
tween horizontal  heavy  black  lines).  Four  children  of  normal  age  have 
"made  time."  Upper  left — below  normal  age,  rapid  progress;  upper  right — 
above  normal  age,  rapid;  lower  right — over-age,  slow;  lower  left — under- 
age, slow.  In  all  22  made  rapid  progress. 


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Mark  each  pupil  who  left  school  finally  during  the  summer  with  a  circle. 
Mark  each  pupil  below  average  physically  with  a  P.  Mark  each  pupil  below 
average  mentally  with  an  M.  Keep  a  history  of  your  class  on  this  form  for 
the  term,  indicating  those  eliminated  and  those  promoted  during  term.  At  the 
end  of  the  term  compute  your  percentages  on  the  basis  of  the  total  number 
who  should  have  stayed  in  your  class.  (Do  not  include  those  who  were  trans- 
ferred to  other  schools.) 

Efficient  Citizenship  No.  565  Shrader  Fund 

BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 
261  Broadway,  New  York 


**  • 


44 


EDITORS  CAN  HELP  TEACHERS  HELP. 


Why  waste  months  of  misdirected  energy  when 
in  15  minutes,  at  the  first  of  the  term,  each  teach- 
er can  find  out  how  many  and  which  of  her  pupils 
are 

a  Over-age  but  rapid  in  progress 

b  Over-age  and  normal  in  progress 

c  Over-age  and  slow  in  progress 

d  Of  normal  age  and  rapid  in  progress 

e  Of  normal  age  and  normal  in  progress 

f  Of  normal  age  and  slow  in  progress 

g  Under  normal  age  but  rapid  in  progress 

h  Under  normal  age  and  normal  in  progress 

i   Under  normal  age  and  slow  in  progress 

j    Below  the  average  physically 

k  Below  the  average  mentally 

A  child  can  rule  roughly  in  two  minutes  the 
form  presented  on  the  other  side  of  the  card — Dr. 
Leonard  P.  Ayres'  form,  modified  to  show  half 
years. 

If  the  individual  record  cards  have  been  prop- 
erly kept,  the  teacher  can  fill  out  the  form  in  ten 
minutes  for  every  pupil  charged  to  her  class  now 
— the  age-progress  key  being  furnished  by  the 
principal. 

Can  you  or  your  schools  afford  to  do  without 
such  facts  right  away? 

BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 
261  Broadway,  New  York 


(Front  of  Efficiency  Citizenship  No.  565) 


